OT.Big green egg grill ???

[coobie]

I am thinking about buying a Big green egg grill.We grill out about 3 days a week and this grill looks very nice.Does anyone have any experience with this grill?Thanks for any info.coobie

 

[thatguy]

Im sorta looking for a new grill.. Im IN for opinions as well..


Brian

 

[mbohuntr]

I have never seen one myself, but my brother swears by his. He has tried to get me to buy one for almost ten years now.

 

[Tdog]

The BGE is lots of $$, but, if as you say you use it that much & you can spring for that much, go for it. I have the Webber Smokey Mountain Smoker. It's a high quality grill, so I imagine the egg is even better.

Jack

 

[jeffinsgf]

I don't have a Big Green Egg --- I have two. I bought my first one ten years ago and have cooked on it 3 or 4 times a week all year around since. There are 5 sizes of the the Big Green Egg, and my first one was (is) a medium. Last fall I bought a large. The medium is the right size for the two of us most of the time, but is a little small when we have family or friends over. The Egg is unique in that it can smoke, bake or grill. You can grill steaks at 700 degrees in a few minutes or pulled pork at 250 degrees for 18 hours. The thick ceramic wall insulates the grill from outside weather, so it will maintain temperatures just as well when it is below zero outside as it will in July.

There's a very active forum of Big Green Egg cooks at http://www.eggheadforum.com

 

[HCJ]

I have one and love it. I had a nice natural gas stainless steel grill and there is no comparison. Charcoal just tastes better. My wife loves salmon, and the Egg shows how to cook on a wet plank of alder or red cedar. Just lay the fish on a wet plank, and cook for about 25 minutes, and it turns out perfect. The wood flavor really is good. Also cook beer chicken, using a stand with a can of beer that sticks up into the chicken. Awesome. Of course steaks and burgers are easy. The Egg can really get hot (over 700) to sear. My gas would never go that high. But the temp is really easy to control with the vents top and bottom. I would recommend the video that is available from them as it shows actual cooking of all different types of food. Yeah, it's pricey but well made. Unlike a gas grill that rusts out burners, the Egg seems bulletproof. with little maintenance. It lights really fast and is ready to go in about 15 minutes after lighting. If you can stand the price, I promise you will like it.

 

[JB4310]

Never heard of this brand before, I gather it's charcoal not propane, I switched back to charcoal about 5 years ago and wont use propane again.

We enjoyed our propane grill for many years but charcoal is just that much better, tried the cowboy type chunk coal a little also.

I've got a cheapo grill and will need a new one soon, we like grilled food 1-2 times a week and wont mind spending extra if they are worth it.
Where do they sell them? any pics?

 

[jeffinsgf]

JB4310,

Go to Naked Whiz Kamado Style Cookers and Lump Charcoal and the forum linked in my previous post. You'll learn everything you ever cared to know about Eggin'.

You're right. It is charcoal not gas. It is made from ceramic, about half an inch thick, not steel. My ten year old Egg looks just as good as my six month old Egg. They don't rot out or burn up and have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser.

 

[jimmyj]

I had not heard of this brand until last year. Two of my buddies got them and they RAVE about them. They sure are expensive but boy o boy do these two guys ever give a convincing endorsment. I have a "fancy" high end propane bbq and honestly it's really no different than the Broil King I had for years except it cost 4x as much.

I'm on the fence about spending the $$ but charcoal seems to do such a fine job I would switch to a green egg if money were no oblect.

 

[coobie]

I guess we are going to buy the large big green grill the price with the wooden mates and nest(grill sets in nest with wheels)is $859 out the door.I will pick it up next week and let you good folks know how she cooks.coobie

 

[LMTC]

Jeff,
When you do something like a pork shoulder, with a lot of at dripping, how tough is the cleanup of the cooker?

 

[JRobyn]

Doing a nice greasy piece of pork (boston butt -mmm) is my favorite thing to do on my egg (had it since about 1986). I virtually NEVER clean it in any way except for to heat the grill up good before using. It has a delightful thick black (hard) coating on the inside of the lid resulting from the years of smoke and meat juices.

My BIL could not ever figure out how to grill anything without burning it - until he got his egg. It is almost impossible to burn anything in it, because the fire is intentionally starved of air except for just enough to maintain the desired temperature.

One other nice thing about the eggs - when you're done cooking, close all the vents. They are air-tight enough that they quickly go out so that all remaining charcoal can be re-used! And definitely use the natural lump charcoal - it lights much faster, burns hotter and longer, and leaves very little ash. You can burn through an entire bag before you need to remove any ash from the bottom.

Try to look past the high cost and go ahead and get one. You will not regret it.

- Jay

 

[coobie]

Doing a nice greasy piece of pork (boston butt -mmm) is my favorite thing to do on my egg (had it since about 1986). I virtually NEVER clean it in any way except for to heat the grill up good before using. It has a delightful thick black (hard) coating on the inside of the lid resulting from the years of smoke and meat juices.

My BIL could not ever figure out how to grill anything without burning it - until he got his egg. It is almost impossible to burn anything in it, because the fire is intentionally starved of air except for just enough to maintain the desired temperature.

One other nice thing about the eggs - when you're done cooking, close all the vents. They are air-tight enough that they quickly go out so that all remaining charcoal can be re-used! And definitely use the natural lump charcoal - it lights much faster, burns hotter and longer, and leaves very little ash. You can burn through an entire bag before you need to remove any ash from the bottom.

Try to look past the high cost and go ahead and get one. You will not regret it.

- Jay

I got sticker when I was looking at the egg grills but the way I look at it in the past 20-25 years I can,t tell you how many charcol grills that we have went threw.We grill out at least 3 days a week year around.I guess in the long run we will save some money buying the Egg grill.coobie

 

[sodamo]

Yes, they are nice. We lived just down the street from their Atlanta Hq/store - even the returns and trade-ins were pricey. Then I found Primo, Primo Grills and Smokers ~ Official Web Information . They are equivalent if not better. We bought the big oval and love it. Just this evening we had some friends over for a gathering and one of the new people saw it and commented. One of our older friends immediately launched into the fact that I've done some hams and smoked turkey and if they ever get invited over don't miss it or they'll be missing one of the best meals of their lives. OK, kinda made me feel good. We did have an incident a couple weeks ago. Still not exactly sure how I did it, but the top dropped on closing and cause a hairline crack. I'm certain the unit is still quite useable as it didn't affect the firebox, but Primo is sending me a new one, I just have to pay the shipping. There is also a Primo forum: http://primogrillforum.com/ . As you might suspect, there is pretty of Egg vs Primo discussion. BTW, for what it's worth, Primo is manufactured in Norcross, Ga, not Mexico. Another note, these units use lump charcoal, not the brickets (sp?).
Steaks and roasts are also mouth watering good.

David

 

[jeffinsgf]

LMTC,

Some folks put a foil lined pan under a shoulder to catch some of the grease. I've done that, but usually don't. "Cleaning" usually consists of opening the vents up after I've finished cooking something, and letting the fire rip for several minutes. If I've been negligent for an extended period, I'll start a fire strictly for the purpose of burning off some of the grease and creosote. Like JRobyn said, it's really not a big deal and the black coating on the dome seems to make the thing work better. As for the cooking grid, I put it over the fire for several minutes before I start cooking and then hit it with a stiff wire brush. The standard grid with the BGE is porcelain coated. My 10 year old cooking grid looks just like my 6 month old cooking grid.

 

[JB4310]

Can you use the briquet's or do you have to use the lump coal? the lump coal is not always available around here and is a little expensive.
Though I read the coal seems to last longer in the Egg than regular grills, read on that site one load of coal can cook for all day or longer?

Even the big Egg doesn't seem that large and may not be suitable for a large picnic.

JB.

 

[copierfixer]

I've had mine for about 4 years now, and NOTHING compares, or even comes close to the taste, ease of use, and overall quality of the Big Green Egg, in my opinion. Go ahead and splurge; you'll be glad you did! paul

 

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon coobie,
I started my smokin adventures last year with my little inexpensive Brinkman. I had a ball with it but honestly it really has its limitations ! What I miss most is smokin this time if year when the weather is cold a dismal, some smoked flavor could really put a smile on my face quickly !

With that being said, I believe my choice would also be the BGE. Yes pricey, but after listening to various guys on TBN talk about it, and how well it handles the cold weather, and that even a relative dummy would have a hard time destroying a piece of meat. My choice is the BGE also !

 

[coobie]

Good Afternoon coobie,
I started my smokin adventures last year with my little inexpensive Brinkman. I had a ball with it but honestly it really has its limitations ! What I miss most is smokin this time if year when the weather is cold a dismal, some smoked flavor could really put a smile on my face quickly !

With that being said, I believe my choice would also be the BGE. Yes pricey, but after listening to various guys on TBN talk about it, and how well it handles the cold weather, and that even a relative dummy would have a hard time destroying a piece of meat. My choice is the BGE also !

The wife and I are headed to the place this week where bought our BGE(alm heating company Wauseon Ohio)the owner wants to cook lunch for us on the BGE,can,t beat that.coobie.

 

[scott_vt]

The wife and I are headed to the place this week where bought our BGE(alm heating company Wauseon Ohio)the owner wants to cook lunch for us on the BGE,can,t beat that.coobie.

Coobie,
I would be there in a heartbeat !